I was Born to Try
by Goddess of the Black Rose
Summary: BTVSHP. It's been 5 years since the Chosen One became Many and Willow Rosenburg is about to start a whole new adventure. Real Chapter 4 up!
1. A Letter Sent

Right - another month, another story. This was floating around in my head when I should have been paying attention in Advanced Accounting and World Lit. There's a whole plot for this one, but my main baby is "The Power He Knows Not." I should have an update for that soon. Enjoy!

**Background:** Buffy didn't get resurected. Everything else is cannon but with Faith. Set after OotP.

Oh. Yeah.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I did, I wouldn't be worrying about finding a job. And I sure wouldn't be in Wisconsin.

Chapter 1 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was, for once, peaceful. One could not say that it was quiet because several hundred witches- and wizards-in-training all enjoying dinner could not possibly be quiet. Still, the Slytherins and Gyffindors were content just to glare, the Weasley twins had left school the previous year and the 'Golden Trio' had yet to find a cause or mystery for the year. That's all Professor Minerva McGonagal, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmistress, could ask for.

The only thing missing was her colleague, Severus Snape. The bat-like man was not in his usual seat and the lack of malevolent glaring from the staff table was the most likely cause for the increased volume of the students.

Despite Minerva's dislike of the man, his teaching methods and blatant favouritism, she could not help but worry. The young man had been gone for nearly 48 hours. It wasn't unusual for him to disappear for a day or two on the weekends – it had actually become common in the last six months or so – and even after classes had ended for the day, but this long for this particular reason. You see, Severus Snape was a spy.

He had been spying for over two decades now, trying to atone for the past. As a young man, he had been bitter and angry. Minerva had seen it herself and had worried about it, but she had never expected him to do what he had ended up doing. Upon reaching the age of 17, he had become a Death Eater, a group of wizarding terrorists who believed that muggles (non-magical people) were inferior and that the magical children they occasionally produced did not belong in the magical world. They and their leader had nearly destroyed the wizarding world.

Not long before the defeat of the leader, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, young Snape had come to Headmaster Dumbledore, the leader of the Dark Lord's opposition, The Order of the Phoenix, and confessed everything. It had been his information that had started the chain of events that would end of defeating the Dark Lord for the first time. And, now that He was back, Severus had returned to his roll as spy. His information over the last year and a half had proven to be invaluable to both Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic (once they had gotten off their asses and admitted that He was back).

Miverva was torn from her thoughts by the loud 'POP!' a portkey makes in the entry way outside of the Great Hall. She and the rest of the staff rose immediately, ready to defend the students.

"Students." The now nervous chatter of the teenagers stopped and all faces turned to the Headmaster. "Everyone, move to the front of the Hall. Everyone third year or lower closest to the wall, Prefects and DA members farthest out. Teachers, with me."

The students scrambled to obey as the teachers walked along the wall.

"Albus," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "What do you think it is? No one should be able to send anything into the school. That's as impossible as apparating!"

"We'll soon find out." Madame Hooch looked ready to fight anything.

But what waited them out in the hall was not a threat to anything but their stomachs. There, beaten, bloody and half-unconscious was Severus. None of the teachers could stand to look at his mangled form as Madame Pomfrey rushed forward.

"He's alive." She gave a relieved sigh. "Someone help me get him to the Hospital Wing. I'll do my best, Albus." She added as Minerva floated Snape into the air. "But he may need more help than I can give. You'll want to call his next-of-kin in."

"Yes, of course." But Dumbledore's attention was no longer on the nurse, but on Snape, who appeared to be saying something.

"What -?" Minerva, too, had heard it. "Albus, what's he saying?"

"Shhh." He leaned forward. "He appears to be saying 'willow'."

"A willow tree, perhaps? Maybe the Whomping Willow." Professor Sprout suggested.

"Perhaps." Dumbledor's eyes twinkled. "Miverva, once you are done assisting Pomona, please inform the Ministry. Fillius, you and the other go reassure the students. Don't tell them what's happened yet." Dumbledore headed off to his office.

Once he got there, he went straight to the painting behind his desk. Behind it was a small door, similar to that of a muggle safe but without the locking mechanism. He touched his wand to it and whispered "Gum Drops" to open it. From the small space, he pulled a stack of letters. Each member of the Order had left letters to their loved one in his care in case they died in the line of duty. Unlike the other, however, Snape had left a letter in case he was injured badly. It was unusual; as their next-of-kin was on their medical and employment records, but Snape had left that space blank. More unusual still was that this letter and the only other one he had written were both addressed to the same person.

He handed the relative one to Fawkes. "Get there as quickly as possible. Wait to see if there's a reply, please." The bird took off in a burst of flame, leaving Dumbledore holding the other letter, staring at the single word written on it – Willow.

In London, the phoenix burst into one of the offices of the New Watcher's Council, surprising the single occupant of the room.

Reviews are always appreciated – they help figure out what the hell I'm doing. Please, this one is going to need all the help that I can get!


	2. Letter Received

Yeah! Another chapter! (I guess that deserves exclamation points) Sorry that it so long. Thanks to all of my reviewers – I'll list you at the end. You support means a lot. Keep them coming!

I realized that I didn't actually state the pairing in the summary. It will be Snape/Willow. For those of you that object, I can understand you point-of-view, but it's my story I am the Puppetmaster. What I say, goes. Understood? Good. Here's the story.

Oh, I almost forgot. Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Letter Received and a Journey Through the Past**

Willow Rosenberg was bored. For nearly a month, she had been stuck in her office, doing paperwork. The result was that she was completely caught up and had even been able to get started on research for projects that had been put off. None of this mattered, however – she wanted to be back in the field.

Willow wanted an apocalypse.

Oh, she didn't want one to succeed. She just wanted one to kill.

This might sound a little odd, but one had to look at this in perspective. Willow was a Wiccan, one of the most powerful in the world. She was also Deputy Head of the New Watcher's Council. The new Council had come into existence after the old one had been blown to pieces and – save for being brought out of the 1800's and being given some humanity – was relatively the same. Their job was simple: to train, guide, and mentor the Chosen, the Vampire Slayer.

At one point, it had been One. "One girl in all the world." Willow had in fact known the last Lone Slayer. They had been best friends. She smiled at the pictures on the wall; one of her with a blond girl and brunette boy and another of her and a whole group of people armed with crossbows and other weapons. Buffy Summers had started the process of multiplying the Slayers when she had drowned and been revived after fighting a powerful vampire at just 16. It had been enough to call Kendra, who had been replaced by Faith after her death 7 months later.

Eventually, there had been just Faith. Buffy had died protecting her sister and saving the world. For some reason, no one was called and the formerly rogue Slayer was left to fulfill the duty. The months that followed had been hard. It had taken a lot to trust Faith – she had, at one point or another, tried to kill all of them as she helped one of the Big Bads try to take over the world – but everything had worked out.

It had been Willow who had expanded on the "Chosen Two." Something (later they would found out that it was the First evil and its minions) had been taking out potential Slayers, had succeeded in destroying the Council. Eventually, Willow had had to cast a spell to unlock the powers of each girl. It had been dangerous, given her lapse of control not a year earlier, but worth it. There was now an army of Slayers and none were too alone or too young or unprepared. They could choose to lead another life, have another future if they desired. And they'd kicked the First's butt.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a strange bird. Instinct had Willow pulling a knife out before she had fully registered its presence. One she did…

"Fawkes?" The knife slid from her hand. She had never seen the phoenix before, but his appearance could mean only one thing – Severus.

* * *

_6 years earlier_

The weather was not living up to its reputation. England was supposed to be cold and wet, not beautiful and sunny. It was still slightly chilly to Willow's California blood, but the view made up for it.

She had been in the English countryside for nearly a month now. Most of her days were spent studying and meditating with her teachers, a coven of Witches. She had managed to control her power to an extent and they even started practicing simple spells. Despite this, and the quiet confidence the women around her had in her, Willow was hesitant to even think about her life in California.

She was scared.

She had betrayed her friends' trust; she had hurt the people that she called family. She had killed a man. She had tried to end the world.

She knew that she had not been in her right mind. The dark magic of the Hellmouth had taken over when her emotions had reached an all-time high and her resistance was already weak from the magic withdrawal she had been going through. But she was afraid of losing control again. She could not risk it – she had gotten closer to ending the existence of life than anyone else - except maybe Angelus, and that was not exactly a point in her favour. Besides, the others wanted nothing to do with her. Why should they? She had nearly killed Dawn before she had gone evil, trying to get a fix. They should just stay away….

Severus regarded the young woman looking over the cliff. He knew that this was a bad idea, but his Aunt had asked and she was the one person who he could not refuse. It was bad enough that Albus insisted on having him around children, but helping a soul trying to find redemption? He had not even found it himself.

He knew who she was, of course. The Watcher's Diaries had finally come out a year ago, after nearly a 6-year lapse. For the most part, they were used as obscure DADA texts, but there were those that read them for entertainment. This girl, Willow, had featured prominently in the journals of Rupert Giles. Her obvious Gryffindor tendencies had made her of little interest to him until he had read of her first spell. As he continued to read, her exploits into the field of magic were a source of consternation and reluctant admiration. When he had finished the last volume, something had compelled him to reread the earlier years, paying more attention to the shy young girl who had been thrown into a very strange world.

He had been shocked when Aunt Gwen had approached him. Not just for the obvious reasons – comfort and guidance were not exactly his forte – but because he found it hard to believe that relatively wholesome, foolish (she had to be to take on a goddess, even if she had won) girl was capable of skinning a man alive. Such a powerful light force turning dark so quickly was like Potter turning Slytherin – impossible. Although, the warning signs had been there. The Watcher had been too busy training his new Slayer

Giles. He watched as the Watcher approached her and began to talk to her quietly. He had been a surprise, as well. Severus did not know what he had been expecting, but this middle-aged man in his tweed jacket with leather elbow patches had not been it. This man had trained the longest-living Slayer in history, and was responsible for the current one. He should have had an aura to match … well, Dumbledore or some one like him.

Suddenly, both figures turned to him. Rosenburg stared at him in surprise as Giles motioned him over.

"Willow, this is Severus Snape."**

* * *

**

It was their last day together. Neither Willow or Severus wanted to admit it, but they had grown to enjoy each other's company. It had been a rocky beginning; Willow had wanted little to do with the grumpy man and Severus had not realized what the diaries had meant by "Willow babble" until it had hit him in the face.

Eventually, they had managed to form a tentative friendship. They had talked late into the night on several occasions and both had benefited more than either knew.

"I don't want to go back." Willow was close to shaking.

"Don't be ridiculous." Severus raised an eyebrow. "They know the risks and still want you there. I doubt that the Slayer is worried about dealing with you if necessary."

She smiled faintly. It had taken a while for her to get to know him well enough, but she now realized that this was his way of reassuring her. "I guess that you're right." She paused and bit her lip. "I'll miss you…and everyone."

There was silence.

"Uh…Can I write you?"

His only response was a slight nod.

**

* * *

**_One Year after that_

Severus had never moved faster. His black robes billowed out behind him menacingly, causing any students he met on his path to make themselves as scarce a possible. It was just as well – if any of them had been able to get a glimpse of his face, they would have been very, very worried.

There was only one word for the look on his face. Relief. Like every other magical being, he had felt the sudden surge of power that had, apparently, encompassed the whole world two days before. The pure lightness … the goodness … had caused his arm to throb horribly. He had been lucky; many of the other Death Eaters had been left in states that made the results of the Cruciatus curse look comfortable.

Unlike everyone else, however, he had recognized the power. Willow had this unusual, and unmistakable, scent of strawberries to her magic. He had, once again, been left in awe of her power and strength, despite the obvious assistance that was made apparent with by the ancient undertones of the burst.

So, he had waited, his panic increasing with every report that came in. Sunnydale was gone in a sinkhole caused by the complete sealing of the Hellmouth that it had resided on. There was still no word from the Slayer, and the Daily Prophet had announced that the Watcher's Council had been blown up over a month ago. While many rejoiced at the triumph of the light, and bookstores could not keep up with the sudden demand for the Diaries, Severus waited for word from Willow.

It had been partially this worry that had caused Severus to hide in his private lab for the last few days. School was not yet out, but there were no exams as part of the 'celebration' that the Chamber of Secrets was finally closed. The other part of his stress was because of where the blame was still being laid – it had become almost common knowledge that it was a Slytherin who had opened the Chamber. It could not have been Harry Potter, of course. No, he was the hero that they had wrongfully suspected. In addition, the real culprit was being kept quiet. It was not the Weasley girl's fault (even Severus could admit that) but he wished that there was another explanation besides those "Slimy Slytherins" as one Gryffindor had put it.

And still, there was no word from Willow.

They had grown surprisingly close over the last two years. Letters had traveled between the two weekly, detailing Willow's adventures and the antics of Severus' students. It had been Severus that Willow had turned to with her doubts concerning her will power. And it had been Willow that had comforted Severus when Gwen had finally succumbed to old age at 110.

Entering his rooms, Severus was met with the most welcome sight in a long time. Willow was sitting in one of his high-backed chairs, staring at her hands. The light from the torches on the walls illuminated her profile, giving her an erthreal glow.

"Willow."

She looked up and smiled. "Severus. It's gone. The Hellmouth's gone. And the First. I did the most incredible spell – we've got Slayers now. Well, we already had Slayers, but –"

"Willow." He stepped forward and knelt beside her chair. "Calm down." He waited until she had taken several deep breaths. "Now, what do you mean by 'we've got Slayers now'?"

"They've been activated. All of the Potential Slayers. Or at least the ones in that were in Sunnydale. The others might not have been. We don't know yet."

"Wait." Severus did not like being confused. "Why were there Potentials in Sunnydale and why would you need to activate their powers?"

So Willow explained the arrival of the First and her part in its arrival. She talked about the battles against the evil-henchman Caleb and Faith losing the few leadership skills that she had possessed. She remained relatively calm until she reached the part about activating the Potentials.

"I did it, Sev. I used the scythe's power to make all of those girls Slayers. The power was … incredible – but not in the evil-I'm-going-to-skin-someone-and-try-to-destroy-the-world way. It was … good … and light. It was incredible." She repeated, staring at the drink that Severus had poured her part way through her tale. She stared at him where he sat on the sofa. "I think – I think that I ascended for a bit."

Severus stared at that. No had achieved true ascension since Merlin himself had walked the earth. The power that one was said to get from such enlightenment was supposed to be truly amazing. It also guaranteed that Willow would never have to worry about "Darth-Willow", as she called it, appearing ever again – the power was reserved solely for the pure of heart and soul.

He realized that Willow had stopped talking and was just looking at him, obviously waiting a reply. He sighed and knelt back in front of her.

"Willow." He turned her face to look at him. "I'm proud of you. You won your battle. You're free." He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and stared into her eyes as that registered. The dazed, scared expression that shone in their depths was replaced with a shining joy. It lit her face up like the sun.

Suddenly, Severus remembered the terror he had felt over the last few days, and the relief he had felt at seeing her. Not really thinking about it, he moved his hand around to the back of her neck and stretched up to kiss her.

Her lips felt like heaven. It took a few seconds for Severus to stop enjoying the feeling and come to his senses. But just as he was ready to pull back and apologize profusely, she did the most incredible thing: she kissed him back.

They broke apart after a few minutes and just stared at each other in shock. Then Severus stood, pulled her up from her chair, and led the way to his bedroom.

It took them a while to figure out what they were doing. Willow had to deal with her guilt over cheating on Kennedy and telling her, not to mention the idea that she was not gay, but apparently bi. She also had to get use to the instant celebrity all of the Scoobies received as the events of Sunnydale were reported to the Wizarding World and they tried to rebuild the now demolished Watcher's Council.

Severus had to adjust to the thought that anyone could care for him that way, especially as he picked up his spying duties once more. But they managed and somehow kept themselves a secret from the world.

* * *

Reveiwers: 

MagsyB

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MarbleGlove

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Cat in a Box

Annje

And Special Thanks to my first reviewer!

Allen Pitt (who has some conspiracy-theory issues. Fun. ;))


	3. Arrival

AN: Just to be clear.

**BUFFY IS DEAD!** She jumped to her death and didn't get brought back. I just couldn't see the 'scoobies' being able to split up if she were still alive. Besides, there's no way the Wizarding World would let her get away with necromancy.

Everything is still close to cannon, however. Just add Faith! (and re-read chapter one. It explains some of this.)

Standard Disclaimer (see chapter 1).

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Arrival**

It was late when Willow arrived in Hogsmeade. It had taken a while for her to get in touch with everyone who needed to know where she was. Then there had been the red tape with the idiots known as the International Magical Cooperation Department at the Ministry – she needed permission to enter the all-Wizarding village as she was classified as an "other" magical being (as opposed to a wand-witch). She didn't need it to enter Diagon Alley, but that was the Ministry for you. She'd been ready to curse their bureaucratic mouths off just for the quiet …

She frowned as she headed for the school. The arrival of the Minister, Madame Bones, had surprised her enough that the lackeys' mouths had remained in place. The Minister (Ministress?) had been kind, in a no-nonsense sort of way. She'd gotten Willow her permit with a strong glare that had sent her personnel flying and hadn't pried into the exact reason for Willow's visit as the goons had. Instead, she had only asked that Willow make an appointment to see her soon.

Still in thought, the witch turned the final corner to the school and was surprised to be met with a gate. She could feel the wards in Hogsmeade – why bother with the physical? Traditional, I guess. They were beautiful, ornate and detailed, but there was no bell of any sort.

After waiting 5 minutes, Willow's patience went from frayed to a ball of string. It was dark and cold and she wanted to find out what had happened to Severus. She glared at the gate and spoke one word.

"Open."

The power behind it wafted through the night, but the silver in front of her merely rattled as though laughing at her.

"Open NOW, or I'll turn you into an armory."

At this, they opened slowly, but it wasn't enough to let Willow in.

"Do you want to spend eternity as a sword? Or maybe some silver bullets?"

* * *

The castle itself was locked tight. Willow stared at the great wooden doors, wondering how many stakes it would make. Then the doors opened slowly. Behind them was a house elf and a man who couldn't be anyone but Dumbledore. 

"May I help you?" There was a slight coldness to the twinkle she'd heard Severus complain about. She had to stop herself from shifting about.

"Headmaster, my name is Willow. I received a letter saying that Severus was hurt."

"Of course," the coldness had gone and Willow was given the full effect of the twinkle. "Please come in."

"How is he?" She kept her hood up slightly as the halls were cold.

"Our nurse, Madame Pomfrey, treated him immediately." He turned to the house elf. "Please take Ms…Willow's bags to Professor Snape's guestroom. Follow me, please, Ms…" He trailed off questioningly.

"It's Rosenburg. Willow Rosenburg."

"Ah."

The rest of the walk was silent. Dumbledore surreptitiously observed the woman next to him. It wasn't easy to surprise him, but the old man was shocked for once. He knew who Willow Rosenburg was – anyone with a real interest in DADA had probably heard of her. Her feats, and those of her companions, were nearly legendary. The question was, how did she know his Potions Master?

Despite the late hour, the hospital wing was full of light. As they entered, Madame Pomfrey was running her wand over the sleeping form of Severus. Both she and Professor McGonagall looked up as Dumbledore and Willow approached.

"Albus, he's stable. I've – I'm sorry, you are?"

Willow ignored the question and stepped towards Severus. Minerva made to stop her, but Dumbledore motioned her back.

"Albus, what - "

"Minerva, Ms. Rosenburg is down as Severus's next-of-kin. Willow –"

"How is he?" She'd sat herself on his bed and pulled back her hood. The crimson of her hair was startling and eye-catching in the light. "He must be pretty hurt to allow himself to be put to sleep here."

Both women snickered and nodded in agreement.

"Well, you obviously know Severus." Minerva smiled slightly. "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration."

"What?" Willow had to clear her head before she could focus on the older woman. "I'm sorry. Willow Rosenburg." She rose and held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you. Are you related to Severus?"

"Uh…no. We met a few years ago. How is he?"

"He hasn't regained consciousness yet. I've done all that I can – it's up to Severus now." The nurse's face was filled with worry. "Poppy Pomfrey, dear."

"Nice to meet you. Ma'am, would it be o.k. if I tried something?"

"I don't –"

"Please." Willow smiled reassuringly. "It won't hurt him and it might help."

"Very well."

Willow ran a quick scan on Severus and was reassured by what she felt. She placed her hands on his chest, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"Goddess, hear my plea."

* * *

From where she stood by Albus and Poppy, Minerva stared at the young woman sitting by Severus. She was certainly curious about the relationship between her snarky colleague and this mysterious witch. She obviously knew him well and cared about him, but he'd never mentioned her before. Not that he talks about anything personal. The man was about as open and friendly as Grimauld Place. 

This girl wreaked of power – a squib could have felt it – but didn't seem to realize it. Who is she? Her name sounded familiar to Minerva, but she hadn't gone to school at Hogwarts, and she wasn't in the Order…

Suddenly it clicked. Willow Rosenburg. The Slayers' Witch. The most powerful Wiccan, maybe even the most powerful witch in the hemisphere. Oh, my. As she watched, the red head began an ancient spell, one she certainly could not have performed, that allowed her to plead to the deity the Wiccans called the Goddess. Power flared from her surrounding Minerva and the others before covering the entire castle.

The feeling was incredible, but the witches and wizard watching were more interested in what was going on in front of them. Willow had begun to levitate slightly and she was surrounded by the purest white aura that any of them had ever seen. The power began to affect her physical appearance as well – her hair was slowing turning a silvery-white.

Suddenly, Severus began to glow as well. His usually pale skin began to glow as though there was a light shining from inside him. A more concentrated beam of light was coming from his left forearm. Minerva wondered what that was as it began to slowly turn grey. As the light became darker, she realized that it must be the dark magic from his Mark.

The now-black beam slowly rose into the air, leaving the original pure white behind it. It floated in the air above Severus as the light receded and Willow relaxed.

"Well." She opened her eyes and smiled at the awed trio. Even Dumbledore was speechless, though he hid it well. Both women had their eyes fixed on the column of black, which was still radiating enough magic to make a basilisk scared.

"What wrong?' Willow glanced up to see what they were staring at. "Oh. Sorry." With a wave of her hand the magic was gone.

That seemed to snap Madame Pomfrey out of her stupor. She hurried forward and began to cast diagnostic spells on the sleeping Professor. She did not push her way past Willow, as she normally would have done. Instead she moved to the other side of the bed, causing Minerva to snicker inwardly. It was not everyday that one saw Poppy Pomfrey subdued, after all.

"He's … he's fine." Madame Pomfrey reported in relief and surprise. "His magic needs to recharge, but he'll be up and scaring students before the break starts."

"Good. Good." Dumbledore beamed. "Willow, may I ask what exactly the dark magic you cast out of Severus was? It had something to do with his Mark, correct?"

"Yes." Willow was exhausted, but willing to answer a few questions. "I removed the Mark."

There was silence for a minute.

"Removed it?"

"Yes." Willow frowned. "It was hurting him and taking away his magic. So I," She shrugged. "I banished it." She pulled up his sleeve to reveal a bare arm.

There was not much anyone could say to that, so Minerva and Dumbledore bid the two women goodnight. Willow made it perfectly clear to Madame Promfrey that she had no intention of leaving, and neither of the two professors was willing to argue with her at the moment. So Willow settled herself into a chair by Severus's bed and soon fell asleep with her hand in his and her head nestled into his shoulder.

* * *

**Thanks to every who reviewed!**

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Allen Pitt

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	4. Hogwarts meet Willow

Here we go, everyone! A new chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 3 and my note. I'm trying to get this up quickly before school ends today, so all of my review responses will have to wait for the next chapter (sorry!)

Some one asked for a timeline, so here it is. I'll add more details as I write, but this is all I've got right now.

Time line

(I tried to format it so that it was easy to read, but fanfiction was being uncooperative. So the Harry Potter stuff is done by book/school year and Buffy by Season – S5, ect.)

S5: Buffy dies saving Dawn. She is not brought back. Faith is broken out of jail to help out.

HP year 1 – S6: Willow goes to the Dark Side. She meets Severus while recovering in England.

HP year 2 – S7: Slayers activated. Willow and Severus start a relationship.

HP year 3 – New council is slowly put together as all of the Slayers are found.

Hp year 4

Hp year 5

HP year 6 (AU) – Severus is discovered and injured. Willow goes to Hogwarts to take care of him.

The next chapter's going to be a while – I've got graduation to deal with. (Yeah! No more gym class, no more 8-hour days of classes that I don't want to take … sigh.)

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Hogwarts, meet Willow**

Severus woke up two days later, much to the surprise of Pomfrey and the joy of Willow. She'd been asleep by his bed and her fist words upon waking had nearly stopped his heart.

"You're free, love."

Free. No more hiding, no more pretending. There was a lot he could do to stop Voldemort, a lot he had to do, but…

He was given the day off, partially because it had been nearly 1:00 when he'd awoke. He and Willow had spent the afternoon in his quarters, catching up – much to the consternation of his colleges, who didn't know what to make of Severus having a personal life.

Severus's first full day up happened to be a Saturday, and a Hogmeade day at that. Excitement rippled through the halls, as Christmas break started in only a week and this was the last chance to shop.

The sight of Severus entering the Great Hall cause almost complete silence. At Dumbledore's insistence, the Prophet had published a story about Severus's duties and discovery. The students had no idea what to make of the hero – they still thought that he was a git.

Little had changed in his appearance; his robes were black and his sneer was firmly in place. Few noticed that his hair lacked its usual shiny greasiness in favor of staring at the elaborate oak cane he used. The clank of it touching the ground was still the loudest sound in the Hall.

Dumbledore stood as he reached the teacher's table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Professor Snape back." There was a scattering of applause, but not one of the Slytherins moved. "He will start teaching again Monday. Enjoy your Saturday."

"Was that really necessary, Albus?"

"Yes, Sevrerus. How are you feeling?"

Severus merely sneered, as Albus knew what his answer would be. There was silence for a minute before Minerva spoke from Dumbledore's other side.

"Where's Willow?" The question caught the other teachers' attention. They'd heard about the girl from Pomfrey and McGonagal, and had felt the power she'd released while healing Severus, but had yet to see her.

"She's currently looking up information for a Watcher in the States –" He pause for a second as Minerva lifted her teacup to her lips. "Something about an apocalypse. His smirk widened as she choked on her tea.

"Excuse me?" Professor Sprout looked startled as Minverva coughed.

"An apocalypse, Pamona. She's rather annoyed. She is on vacation, after all."

"Terribly inconvenient." Dumbledore agreed, his eye twinkling madly.

Any response their dumbfounded colleagues might have given was interrupted by the arrival of Willow herself. Her appearance caught the attention of several students – she simply did not look like she belonged in the Great Hall. There was a medieval feel to the dark green dress she wore. It had a tight, decently low-cut neckline and long, flowing skirts. Her red hair contrasted sharply with the color and shone like silk in the sun light. What eventually caught most of the students' interest, however, was the power wrapped casually around her like a cloak. The entire student body was watching as she approached the head table.

"Ms. Rosenburg, I trust all is well?"

"Please, Professor, it's Willow. And, yes, everything is settled. Or it will be soon." With that, she walked over to Severus and sat next to him. This caused a flurry of whispers. There was another seat open, you see, and no one willingly sat next to their snarly potions professor.

"Oh, for –"

"Calm down." Severus turned his and smiled at her. He was careful to keep his face hidden from the students. He had a reputation to uphold. As it was, the teachers on the other side of Willow gaped at him. "How are Faith and Robin?"

Willow sighed as she grabbed some toast. "Annoyed. Their research team is full of idiots."

"Oh?"

"The 'apocalypse' was just a fear demon – Gachnar, to be exact."

It was then that she realized that the other teachers were listening.

"A fear demon?" Pamona enquired faintly. "Aren't they something to worry about?"

"Not as a rule, no. The most effective way of killing them is to simply step on them." She smiled calmly at the various faces of disbelief directed her way. "The largest is only about six inches tall, after all."

There was silence before Madame Hooch began to snicker. "Six inches?" Some of the other teachers joined in.

* * *

_Five Minutes Earlier_

Harry Potter listened to his best friends Hermione and Ron bicker over Ron's homework. It was a common topic, and one that would never be fully exhausted. In fact, Harry was certain that it would continue long after they had graduated by simply replacing 'homework' with 'work'. Hopefully, however, they would have realized by then that they actually enjoyed these 'chats' and cared about each other – as disturbing as Harry found the idea, at least snogging was relatively quiet.

He was about to start refereeing them when movement caught his eye.

"Who's that?"

Both Hermione and Ron turned and Ron's jaw dropped.

"Bloody Hell! Who's she?

Hermione began to berate Ron for his language but Harry's attention was focused solely on the woman in front of him. He could feel the power radiating in a way that even Dumbledore couldn't on a regular basis. Plus, something about the way she carried herself made Harry like her immediately.

The others around them had noticed the Redhead and were now talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Who's that?"

"She's hot."

"Why's she sitting next to Snape?"

"She must be nuts – Snape?"

"Who is she?"

"She's hot!"

It was Hermione, as usual, who had the answer.

"Didn't you hear what Dumbledore called her? That's Willow Rosenberg!" She was met with blank faces. "Oh, for – Do you remember all the stuff in the papers a few years ago about the slayers?"

"No." Ron looked as clueless as usual, but he wasn't spraying toast with every word he said, so Hermione was willing to overlook it for once. "What's a slayer?"

Surprisingly, it was one of the twins who answered. After the fiasco last year with her toadliness, Mrs. Weasley had insisted that both Fred and George return to school and complete their NEWTS. Of course, she had no legal control over either of them (their age and the success of the their joke shop, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, insured their independence), but not even the illustrious pranksters were willing to piss the matriarch off. Their … vacation had had some good points, however. Both had begun to develop their own style, so it was possible to say with certainty that it was Fred who began to speak

"Slayers, Ronnikins. As in Vampire Slayers?" Fred shook is head at his brother's ignorance. "Vampire Slayers are protectors of man-kind from all of the dark creatures out there. They're usually young –"

"Hot."

"Ass-kicking"

"Strong"

"Hot"

"Fast"

"Hot"

"Babes." George finished with a grin.

"Really!" Hermione glared at the pair before turning back to Ron. "Slayers are typically teenage girls who are given super-strength, speed and other powers. They do protect us from the various demons that roam the earth. It use to be that there was only one. When she died, the next was called."

"'Use to be'?" Fred asked. "I thought that that was still true."

"No." Hermione shook her head. "A couple of years ago, something started attacking the girls that were candidates to be Chosen. It even destroyed their guardian's Headquarters. The current Slayer couldn't handle it and its army."

"Why didn't the Ministry help?" Seamus asked. By now, they'd gathered a large crowd of people who were either interested in the Slayers or wanted to know more about Willow.

"Who knows?" Ron Snorted. "It's the Ministry. What's this got to do with the bird?"

Hermione sent him a scolding look. "Well, the only way she and her companions could think of getting all of the help they needed was to activate all of the potential Slayers. There are thousands of them now."

"So?"

"So, Ronald, Willow is the one who activated them. We're talking ancient magic – Dumbledore couldn't have done it, even if he was Wiccan. She's probably the most powerful Wiccan in the world."

There was silence for a moment as everyone stared at the laughing red head up at the teachers table. Finally Ron summed up how everyone was feeling.

"Bloody hell."

* * *

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